The ozfortress Winter League: Series 9 ruleset contains changes that teams are required to be familiar with.

If clarification is required on any section, contact your OWL Division Administrator in #ozf-help on irc.gamesurge.net. Ignorance of the rules will not be taken into consideration if a breach has occurred.

Key Changes:

Owl is no longer "owl8"; rather, we have progressed to "owl9". We believe in numerically listing our competitions in sequential order.

King-of-the-Hill type maps are now to be played in halves, with sides swapping once either team has three points. Maps will still conclude once four rounds have been won by a team.

The finals map pool include all maps played in the season, with a ban-pick-ban-pick selection process selecting the maps to be played along with the tiebreaker.

Teams running a mercenary for any round match will forfeit any right to earn bonus points that round. Failure to announce mercenary use will face heavy penalties. Mercenaries will not be permitted in finals under normal circumstances.

Servers must be running the owl9 configs and whitelist to be considered eligible to host matches. They may not be running any other gameplay altering mods.

Administrators have the power to veto any rule should the need arise.

Rules are currently in draft mode and may be revised before the season starts. Feedback is always welcome.

Admins will be policing players demo recording more vigilantly this season. Remember that all players must be able to provide a POV demo if requested by an admin for any reason. Failure to do so will result in harsh penalties. (we recommend using P-REC)

Regular season match fixtures will be posted prior to the start of the season. Fixtures are set at weekly intervals to be played between Monday and Sunday. Match organisation/discussion threads will be posted roughly two weeks prior to that round's fixtures.

Playoffs and finals fixtures and rules will be posted at the conclusion of the regular season.

Teams may score Match Points and Bonus Points from any match. These points are separate and are NOT added to give an overall points score.

During the regular season teams are ranked in order of: (1) match points, (2) map wins and then (3) bonus points. If two teams are unable to be separated by these measures at the end of the regular season the result of their minor round match will be used, with the winner of this match taking the higher ranking. If more than two teams are so tied then additional play-offs may be organised to determine who advances to any finals matches.

The following points will be awarded after a match has been completed.

Match Points:
2 Points for a map win
1 Point each for a map draw
0 Points for a map loss

Bonus Points:
1 Point for a map win with a winning margin of >= 3 rounds on push or KOTH maps
1 Point for a map win with an ABBA result of 2-0 on stopwatch maps
1 Point for a map loss with a margin of <=2 rounds on a push or KOTH maps
1 Point for a map loss with an ABBA result of 2-1 on stopwatch maps

Forfeits:
4 Match points for the forfeit receiver
2 Bonus points for the forfeit receiver
1 Point deduction for the team which forfeited

Divisions with teams that disband:
0 Points for all opponents, for all matches, past and future. This is to avoid any advantage or disadvantage to those teams that did not have the opportunity to play the disbanding team.

Mercenary Use:
Teams that use a mercenary will not be awarded bonus points for the round that the mercenary played. This will not affect bonus points awarded to the opposition or any regular match points.

Teams apply pre-season to enter the league and nominate their desired division. A minimum of six eligible players (refer to section 2B) are required for the application to be considered. Application does not guarantee entry into the league.

Players who are not competing in owl9 are free to join a clan, but only during the player transfer period. Players who are not competing in owl9 but are competing in ozfl for a different clan are free to apply to join during the transfer window.

Players who are a member of one owl9 clan and wish to transfer to another may do so, but only during a transfer window.

2F. Transfer Windows

The transfer windows will allow players who are a member of a clan competing in owl9 to move to another clan, pending admin approval. Whilst we appreciate the need for clans to add additional players to their roster mid-season, our transfer approvals are based on the legitimacy of the transfer/addition. We aim to provide a league that is fair and competitive and we judge all cases based on that premise. The transfer windows will be 24 hours long and will occur on 3/03/2013, 24/03/2013 & 7/4/2013. See the full list of Key Dates for more details.

Rosters will be locked on 24/03/2013. Rosters will be locked for the entire duration of the season and are only unlocked during the set transfer window period. Whilst the roster lock is in effect, no player additions or transfers are allowed.

Teams who disband during the regular season will be denied entry to the next league season. A team that disbands during the league season, only to reform at a later date, will be required to play in the OZFL for an extended period before being granted entry to another league season.

The captain of a disbanded team will not be permitted to lead another team in an ozfortress League. Where responsibility for an imminent disband is the sole fault of the captain, a simple majority of registered team members may elect to nominate a new captain, or remove the captain entirely, at any point of the season. The team at large will then remain unpenalised.

To avoid penalty, captains and/or team members should approach League Administrators at the first sign of trouble to work through a solution.

The ozfortress Winter League: Series 8 schedules fixtures every week, and all match fixtures will be posted pre-season.

Match discussion threads will be posted in the match discussion forum approximately 2 weeks before the upcoming round, so as to give teams sufficient opportunity to negotiate a suitable day and time for their match.

The weekly round fixtures must then be played between the specified Monday and Sunday of the fixtures schedule (Friday and Saturday are not considered valid days).

Generally acceptable match start times for ozfortress Winter League: Series 8 matches are as follows:

Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST): 7:30pm to 9:30pm, and
Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT ):8:00pm to 10:00pm.

These times are only general guidelines and teams are given flexibility in finding mutually beneficial arrangements. However, where two teams are unable to agree on a time, an Administrator will set a match date and time according to the above guideline.

Once the match schedule for the round has been posted, teams can begin negotiating with each other to arrange a time and date for their match. It is important to note that only the Clan Leaders can organise the match (as indicated on their team roster). Non Clan Leaders who propose times and days, joking or serious, will be punished.

There are two ways this can be done:

Teams can make contact with each other through the ozfortress League Captains Steam Community Group or over other mediums such as IRC if that is more convenient to organise their matches, but the arranged date & time must be posted in the match discussion thread.

All teams must have an IRC channel registered on the irc.gamesurge.net network. Teams must have their channels organised before the Round 1 schedules are posted.

The lower ranked team is to initially propose (in the match discussion thread) three acceptable (see rule 3A/3B) time & dates for the match and suggest if they are able to organise an acceptable server (see rule 5B). The higher ranked team must then reply and either accept one of the proposed dates or, if none are acceptable, propose three new dates and state if they are able to organise a server for them. Repeat if needed until an agreement on the date and time is reached.

The consent of both teams is required when deciding a time and date; if consensus is not found a League Administrator may have to intervene.

If it is proving difficult to get in contact with the other team, or they are not making a reasonable effort to organise the match, please bring it to the attention of your division's League Administrator immediately.

All match details must be finalised in the match thread by 11:59pm on the Sunday prior to the next round commencing. This includes the map selections (see 3G below). Failure to do so without valid reason will see both teams penalised 1 match point.

If for whatever reason a match cannot be played within the time frame outlined in rule 3A/3B, and both teams consent to a round extension, they are required to contact their division's assigned Administrator as soon as possible for approval.

A maximum of one forfeit per team is permitted in the ozfortress Winter League: Series 8, on the second forfeit a team is considered inactive and removed from the league. Exclusion penalties will then apply for future ozfortress participation.

It is the team's responsibility to contact your division's Administrator as soon as possible if there is a change in circumstances that will affect your team's ability to field a team each round, even if it is a temporary problem (e.g. if a number of your team will be absent next round).

When a forfeit is recorded the team they were scheduled to play will be awarded a default win unless both teams forfeited.

Technical problems (e.g. Steam connectivity issues) prevent the match being played at the arranged time and the match cannot be rescheduled to a later date within the acceptable time frame outlined in rule 3A/3B.

Server/Network problems render the server unplayable and neither an alternative server cannot be found nor match rescheduled to a later date within the acceptable time frame outlined in rule 3A/3B.

A new update is released which alters gameplay of a map significantly during the round which it is scheduled.

In the case of a technical forfeit being awarded, teams may opt to reschedule the match, or split the points (awarding three points to each team). Technical forfeits, unlike regular forfeits explained in rule 3E, do not count against a team.

In each match thread, the home and away team will be specified as well as the map pool for that round. 2 maps will be predetermined for each round and are to be played in their specified order. No selection is required.

In the finals the higher ranked team will ban a map from the complete owl9 map pool (7), followed by the lower ranked team banning a map. Then each team will pick a map in order and the higher ranked team will choose the tiebreaker map from the remaining 3. Each team will have a 24 hour window to make their selection following the previous action or may see their selection done for them.

A maximum of one mercenary may be used during each regular season round. The same mercenary may not be used more than once.

A mercenary can be used without the permission of the other team if they are a member of a team currently active in the same division or below. If the proposed mercenary is not a member of any team participating in owl9 the opposing team’s captain and your division administrator must agree to allow them to play.

Mercenaries are only permitted during the playoffs and finals under unique circumstances and the opposing team’s captain and your division administrator must agree to allow the proposed mercenary to play.

The following guidelines apply:

It is to be clearly and honestly communicated to the other team who the mercenary is and why they are being used.

The mercenary must be named when reporting or confirming results in the match thread. Failure to do so may result in point deductions or round forfeit.

It is the home team's responsibility to arrange for a recording STV to be present for their match. If one cannot be arranged or the STV does not record, one player from the home team MUST be able to provide a POV demo (we recommend using P-REC). Demos must be uploaded and published no later than 1 week after the match date. Screen-shots of in-game scoreboard must be taken

Any team not submitting either an STV or POV demo within 1 week of the match will be penalised 1 Match point. (Teams new to OWL may receive 1 warning before penalties will arise).

All players must be able to provide a POV demo if requested by an admin for any reason. Failure to do so may result in harsh penalties.

Under no circumstances are spectators allowed in a game with the exception of ShoutCasters and League Administrator (unless said shoutcaser/administrator are members of either team). A team with more than 6 players in a server will be disqualified.

Teams participating are required to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner both in the match thread and in the actual game. Global chat during live rounds is restricted to only captains or designated representatives for team management. Any other mm1 use by other team members is prohibited. Point deductions will occur for teams who breach this rule. Decisions made by administrators regarding these disputes are considered final.

ozfortress Leagues use the scoring format of ABBA(AB) to ease calculation of results.

A reminder of what ABBA(AB) is: With stopwatch ON. The home team will attack first; the away team will then respond to the home team's attack. Once completed, the winning team will receive ONE (1) point. The teams will then switch sides and the away team will set the stopwatch time first, followed by the home team's response. The winner of this will receive one point.

Draws are not permitted on cp_gravelpit. If the map result is 1-1 after ABBA, an additional AB round will be played to determine the map winner.

The score is to be reported as how many rounds you win. eg: 2-1, or 2-0.

Pausing during a match will now be allowed where players clearly exhibit (technological) performance issues. As a guideline, the pause should not last longer than five minutes before teams attempt to find a replacement. Both teams must give the all-clear to un-pause.

Excessive use of this function or use for inappropriate matters will be heavily punished. Reporting such inappropriate use should be done as a dispute to a match upon which the League Administrators will make a ruling.

Both teams must reply to the match discussion thread with the results of both maps within three hours of the match ending. Screenshots of each map must be attached to the thread.

Teams must clearly state who the winner of each map was and by what margins

Example:
cp_granary: 4-1 MAD DOGZ
cp_badlands: 3-3 draw

If a team has used a mercenary, they must post the mercenary's name in the same post as the match outcome.

If only one team submits results, then they will be accepted without verification, so make sure you either confirm the posted results or challenge them if they are incorrect.

In the case of neither team submitting results, a forfeit will be recorded against both teams.

A note of who booked the server (irc username) should be provided in the Match Thread (Read: Section 4D). If an ozfortress server was not used for the match, a link to an STV recording must be provided.

Misconduct, including use of mm1 by any members of a team other than the team captain or designated representative for team management will be actively monitored in owl9. Teams found engaging in unacceptable behaviour or caught intentionally breaking any owl9 rules during matches will face collective penalties as outlined below. The severity of a breach will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The following guidelines apply:

First minor team offence: Warning

Second team offence: 1 point ladder penalty

Repeated or major team offences: Technical forfeit (loss of all points won that round)

Gross misconduct or cheating: Removal from current and potentially future owl competitions

Teams containing players under probation from previous offences, see rule 6e, will not be afforded a first-offence warning.

Be hosted on a dedicated, non-residential connection with enough bandwidth for at least 16 players.

Be physically located in Australia, unless the match is between two New Zealand or two Asia based teams.

Servers must be running the owl9 configs and whitelist and be running on sv_pure 2 to be considered eligible to host matches. They may not be running any other gameplay altering mods.

Admins reserve the right to choose which server a match will be played on.

If teams cannot agree on a server, an official ozfortress server must be arranged by contacting an Administrator in #ozf-help on irc.gamesurge.net. If the ozfortress servers are unavailable, iPGN will be the next server to default to.

If you require a SourceTV relay, please try to provide us as much notice as possible.
For retrieving the automatically recorded SourceTV demos of your match, please following the instructions in this thread.

Any match pitting a foreign team against a local team must use an alternative Australian server, if one is available, that provides a fairer playing field. This server must also meet the acceptable server criteria outlined in rule 5B. It is the foreign team's responsibility to bring this to the attention of the local team when negotiating the match details and book or organise the server in advance. However, if an agreement cannot be reached, the match will be played on an ozfortress server.

The use of any third-party addons, hooks, programs or wrappers that interact with or alter the Team Fortress 2 client, its appearance or behaviour for the purposes of gaining an unfair advantage are banned.

The use of any server commands, variables or plugins for the purposes of gaining an unfair advantage or to interfere with an owl9 match is prohibited. Once the match is underway, the server administrator must let the match run its course and not make any changes without the consent of both teams.

A Steam account may only be used by its owner in any owl9 match. Sharing your login details with a third party for use in an owl9 match is strictly prohibited and if found out will result in lengthy bans for all involved parties.

Members who are banned on the ozfortress website are also banned from leading clans in owl9. Players banned from the ozfortress website may also be subject to competition bans, and are considered under probation; see Rule 4L. Please read the infraction information thread for more information. Bans issued that affect a players ability to play will be listed here. Please contact your division's administrator for further clarification.